Many of the names have changed, but the Rising Sun baseball team's expectations and approach remain the same. "Our expectations are to go out and compete and give it our best shot to win," coach Clyde Van Dyke said. The Tigers won a lot of games over the last three years and were 15-5 last season. The Chesapeake Division co-champions were blanked in the section final for the second straight year.
Rising Sun has sent three pitchers to college programs over the last two years. "We have seven or eight guys who will get the opportunity to show us what they've got," pitching coach Rick Marcus said. "We have guys who can throw pretty decent. They just don't have the experience yet." Noah Juergens, who pitched well last season when called upon, is slated to be the number one starter this spring. Marcus says the rest of the staff is "a work in progress." Derek Adams and Jake Keane are expected to contribute. "We're looking for our pitchers to throw strikes because I think we'll be ok defensively," Marcus said. Nate McCullough, Tyler Snyder, and lefty Phil Lyons should also receive a chance to toe the rubber. "The best word to describe our pitching staff," Van Dyke says, "is 'green'." Catcher Derek Schoff is expected to bat in the middle of the lineup. "We have a lot of confidence in Derek," said Van Dyke. "He will anchor the infield for us." Adams and Jack Stewart are vying for time at first base. "It depends on who can hit and who can pick," Van Dyke said. Stewart could also see action in the outfield. Asher Sloman and Andrew Anders, juniors who are up from the JV team, are competing for the second base job. Casey Baker will be in the mix when he returns from injury. McCullough and Aaron Richardson are among those battling to start at shortstop. "If I can find someone who can handle the position defensively, I'll forfeit a little offense there," said Van Dyke. Keane is slated to start at third base and Juergens can also play there. Stewart, Richardson, Lyons, Juergens, and Snyder are part of the outfield equation. Cameron Altland and Chad Sherrow are also challenging for playing time. "We have kids back who can hit," said Van Dyke. "It depends on what our young kids do. Our approach hasn't changed. We want to improve game by game and be ready for the playoffs." Comments are closed.
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